We are passing through a tumultuous period on a global scale. With the Russia-Ukraine War, tensions began to increase in the international arena. Russia, who read the American withdrawal from Afghanistan as a weakness, probably saw this situation as a motivation tool for its attack on Ukraine. Thinking that the USA could not be involved in the process, it began to invade Ukraine, showing off. All these crisis conditions also bring opportunities for Turkey on a regional and global scale.
The coming days are the time periods in which the balance between measures and gains should be evaluated correctly. In addition to taking measures in foreign policy, emerging opportunities should be followed very well.
The government, which opened the Montreux Straits Convention for public discussion a few months ago, seems to have realized that this contract is the foremost presumption for neutrality with the war between Ukraine and Russia. It is important that at least this point has been reached and that communication channels with both countries are open.
However, activating the Organization of Turkic States, which was established together with the Central Asian Turkic states, and taking quick integration steps will give confidence and contribute to the elimination of the political concerns of these countries in the regional and global arena. In this regard, Turkey should be a pioneer, support these countries politically, diplomatically and technically, and initiate the creation of a strong political infrastructure.
On the other hand, we can say that the general lines of the Islamic world and their approach to the Russia-Ukraine War are in a way that will contribute to peace and to reduce tension. In this context, in addition to taking the normalization steps with Egypt quickly, integration with the D-8 countries should be deepened, and work should be accelerated in other areas, especially in the economic field.
Turkey can protect its regional interests with a structure in which it is in a global power union, which is the D-8 organization. In this direction, D-8 countries should evaluate the latest developments very well. When the geographies of the member countries are taken into account, their potential to be active on a global scale from the Far East to the Middle East, from Europe to Africa is clearly seen.
Turkey's strategic location, on the other hand, is a very important power, which is the legacy it has received from history, and this corresponds to a soft power that is not found in other countries.
This situation may make Turkey one of the central countries of trade, as well as making it superior in other respects. The first step towards achieving this goal is Turkey's preservation of its internal unity. It's the end of camping. It is the adjustment of the language of politics according to the minimum rules of courtesy.
In addition, Turkey should continue the diplomatic struggle at full speed to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, and should never take a step back from making the Black Sea a peace basin.
As a result, the saying that every crisis contains opportunities is also valid for the period we live in. Turkey should make good use of foreign policy opportunities with grounded road maps.